Good piece, JC. When hiring a head coach I think the coach's ability to develop, nurture and motivate the players he has should be at least as important as his ability to recruit. Jonathan Smith is a case study. He generally doesn't get the players most highly regarded by the recruiting rankings. But he turns the ones he gets into good college football players. And he is a good strategist on game day. You can say the same about Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
I was mad at Lanning too. Last night. I don’t know too many Duck fans who weren’t mad. About something. Anything. The 4th and 1 give to Nix was one of my peeves. Sunday brings calmer nerves. I certainly hope no one is seriously considering firing Dan Lanning. I see great potential in him. I like him. Let cooler heads prevail. Do what OSU did yesterday. Never give up. Never give in. Get back up and continue the good fight!
Are we missing something here? The game had shades of Cristobal's impending departure last year. KD made some "distracted" decisions like going for it on 4th and 13 on his own 29 as if to say "I'm outa here so I'll go out with a bang if this work. If it doesn't, no loss to me."
OSU hired an OSU guy who is very content to be at OSU. Oregon expects more so goes for high profile hires--then loses them after a year or two if they do well.
I'm sick of today's coaching attitude of get whatever is good for me whenever it pleases me. How do you teach a 19 year-old that loyalty, integrity and determination is important when you betray those very things by jumping at the first opportunity to "get more for me"? Maybe a hire like Wilcox would have been better after all?
Good read John. I really think Dan Lanning is gonna turn out a home run for Oregon Football. He seems a man of strong character and players respond well. We know 1st time coaches make mistakes. Too bad it happened in both Rivalry games. But i believe Oregon is in good hands.
P.S. those bad play calls that showed up in a couple games.(going for it in your own territory on 4th down etc) I wonder..we’re those calls from the HC or OC? It really felt like a distracted play caller. Something seemed oddly familiar. Dan Lanning likes to be aggressive but those calls seem a bit uncharacteristic of him.
PSS… LANNING MUST GET THIS NEW OC HIRE RIGHT AND HE NEEDS TO DO IT QUICK. Something tells me this did not catch him off guard and he probably already knows who he is gonna hire.
Thanks for the reporting - you cut to the chase and tell it the way it is. As a long-time Beaver and close friends with many Ducks, I have observed the shift in expectations by the U of O supporters over many years. Many of them feel "entitled" to have success which, in my opinion, has come about from the unequal financial support between the two institutions. They are riding on Phil Knight's largess and think any success is because somehow U of O (and by reflection - they) are superior to OSU. It gets tiresome.
As far as the game, the Beavers focused on winning, and the Ducks were afraid of losing.
Coach Smith and his staff have created a great culture and I suggest that the long-term impact on these young men's lives will be remembered long after the memory of this game fades.
I understand why Duck fans would be so upset but Lanning is the right guy for the future. If anyone is going to learn from this season it will be him and his staff! This guy is going to be terrific and 2-3 years from now they will be a constant CFP team with the ability to compete at the highest level. Lanning is the real deal! Give some credit to the Beavers for making some great plays at the most important times of the game.
"Smith’s team demonstrated exceptional resilience. It overcame terrible officiating"
Absolutely...and this refrain is getting tiresome. There's now three characters in every Pac-12 contest: two teams and one officiating crew. I'll let you decide who the MAIN character is most weeks. When I watch a game the first reaction to any play is "was there a flag?" Now I notice they throw flags, talk it over, and frequently wave off the call. Yeah, when in doubt, call a foul and then vote on it. Good grief. Could someone please tell these guys they aren't stars, co-stars, or even credited actors in the show. They're only supposed to be bit players that help move the story along!
You’re wrong on one thing, John. From what I saw, Dillingham flew out of Corvallis at the end of the third quarter. And took Tosh with him. (Those were mannequins on the Oregon sideline.)
I'm not panicking and still like the Lanning hire. That said I surprised at the hubris displayed against UW and OSU which, IMO, cost the Ducks both games. Agreed Coach is a high-integrity guy who can recruit like a witch- and I think he has better coaching chops than Taggart or Cristobal. Losing Dillingham isn't the end of the world. Me, I'm more concerned about the DC. Can we get an upgrade there?
OK, I just can’t with this. First of all, rich donor dude, maybe wait until the end of the game before buying your luxury box?!?!? 😂
3 weeks ago, Lanning is a God-send. Now he’s a mistake? The guy is great and he’s 10+ years younger than me. The win-now mentality is why UO hasn’t had a solid heir to Mariota other than Herbert’s accidental ascendancy after Prukop face-planted. 3 transfer QBs instead of homegrown dudes.
Also, I’d like to point out that UO went with the old hands in Taggart and Cristobal. Gone, both of them, in short order. They hired Lanning, who is *invested in the community* and is likely here for awhile. He’s already good and will likely get better.
Look, I get the donors and boosters want ROI, but this is a public school. Mullins answers to the taxpayers, not them, and any loss of revenue is HIS problem, not theirs. They’re free to donate less money or find another school that will take their cash, but they otherwise are just another influential voice AT the table.
It’s just football, y’all. They lost a game they shouldn’t have lost, just as they did in the Alamo Bowl. They recovered then, they’ll recover now.
As a former Pop Warner coach, Lanning’s play calling , particularly on 4th and 1, violated standard Football play calling strategy; As we say in the military , Lanning is a “Loose Cannon”, who can destroy his own team....he has not learned patience in his young years as a defensive minded coach....it’s going to be painful to watch him learn now as a HC, at the expense of future wins and UO bowl selections . Right now he is a “handicap” for the Ducks !
I still think too much was said of the play calling, and not enough of Ducks defense allowing the Beavs to run down the field 3 straight possessions Not once did they try to force them to pass
I’m not a duck fan at all but to blame the head coach sucks. Maybe they need to give him a chance to grow his own program one year is just his start!! Ducks act like spoiled brats didn’t get their way now they want to take their blanket and go home 🙈. Go beaver 🦫
Good piece, JC. When hiring a head coach I think the coach's ability to develop, nurture and motivate the players he has should be at least as important as his ability to recruit. Jonathan Smith is a case study. He generally doesn't get the players most highly regarded by the recruiting rankings. But he turns the ones he gets into good college football players. And he is a good strategist on game day. You can say the same about Utah coach Kyle Whittingham.
I was mad at Lanning too. Last night. I don’t know too many Duck fans who weren’t mad. About something. Anything. The 4th and 1 give to Nix was one of my peeves. Sunday brings calmer nerves. I certainly hope no one is seriously considering firing Dan Lanning. I see great potential in him. I like him. Let cooler heads prevail. Do what OSU did yesterday. Never give up. Never give in. Get back up and continue the good fight!
Maybe, since you will be in Las Vegas for the title game, the Oregon donor who purchased the suite for the game will let you use his suite.
Are we missing something here? The game had shades of Cristobal's impending departure last year. KD made some "distracted" decisions like going for it on 4th and 13 on his own 29 as if to say "I'm outa here so I'll go out with a bang if this work. If it doesn't, no loss to me."
OSU hired an OSU guy who is very content to be at OSU. Oregon expects more so goes for high profile hires--then loses them after a year or two if they do well.
I'm sick of today's coaching attitude of get whatever is good for me whenever it pleases me. How do you teach a 19 year-old that loyalty, integrity and determination is important when you betray those very things by jumping at the first opportunity to "get more for me"? Maybe a hire like Wilcox would have been better after all?
Good read John. I really think Dan Lanning is gonna turn out a home run for Oregon Football. He seems a man of strong character and players respond well. We know 1st time coaches make mistakes. Too bad it happened in both Rivalry games. But i believe Oregon is in good hands.
P.S. those bad play calls that showed up in a couple games.(going for it in your own territory on 4th down etc) I wonder..we’re those calls from the HC or OC? It really felt like a distracted play caller. Something seemed oddly familiar. Dan Lanning likes to be aggressive but those calls seem a bit uncharacteristic of him.
PSS… LANNING MUST GET THIS NEW OC HIRE RIGHT AND HE NEEDS TO DO IT QUICK. Something tells me this did not catch him off guard and he probably already knows who he is gonna hire.
Thanks for the reporting - you cut to the chase and tell it the way it is. As a long-time Beaver and close friends with many Ducks, I have observed the shift in expectations by the U of O supporters over many years. Many of them feel "entitled" to have success which, in my opinion, has come about from the unequal financial support between the two institutions. They are riding on Phil Knight's largess and think any success is because somehow U of O (and by reflection - they) are superior to OSU. It gets tiresome.
As far as the game, the Beavers focused on winning, and the Ducks were afraid of losing.
Coach Smith and his staff have created a great culture and I suggest that the long-term impact on these young men's lives will be remembered long after the memory of this game fades.
I understand why Duck fans would be so upset but Lanning is the right guy for the future. If anyone is going to learn from this season it will be him and his staff! This guy is going to be terrific and 2-3 years from now they will be a constant CFP team with the ability to compete at the highest level. Lanning is the real deal! Give some credit to the Beavers for making some great plays at the most important times of the game.
Now Ducks and Beavs go win a bowl game!
"Smith’s team demonstrated exceptional resilience. It overcame terrible officiating"
Absolutely...and this refrain is getting tiresome. There's now three characters in every Pac-12 contest: two teams and one officiating crew. I'll let you decide who the MAIN character is most weeks. When I watch a game the first reaction to any play is "was there a flag?" Now I notice they throw flags, talk it over, and frequently wave off the call. Yeah, when in doubt, call a foul and then vote on it. Good grief. Could someone please tell these guys they aren't stars, co-stars, or even credited actors in the show. They're only supposed to be bit players that help move the story along!
You’re wrong on one thing, John. From what I saw, Dillingham flew out of Corvallis at the end of the third quarter. And took Tosh with him. (Those were mannequins on the Oregon sideline.)
I'm not panicking and still like the Lanning hire. That said I surprised at the hubris displayed against UW and OSU which, IMO, cost the Ducks both games. Agreed Coach is a high-integrity guy who can recruit like a witch- and I think he has better coaching chops than Taggart or Cristobal. Losing Dillingham isn't the end of the world. Me, I'm more concerned about the DC. Can we get an upgrade there?
Is it too much to ask of any coach not to go for it on 4th down in your own territory with the lead twice?
At this moment, I think Washington would be the team to give USC a challenge.
OK, I just can’t with this. First of all, rich donor dude, maybe wait until the end of the game before buying your luxury box?!?!? 😂
3 weeks ago, Lanning is a God-send. Now he’s a mistake? The guy is great and he’s 10+ years younger than me. The win-now mentality is why UO hasn’t had a solid heir to Mariota other than Herbert’s accidental ascendancy after Prukop face-planted. 3 transfer QBs instead of homegrown dudes.
Also, I’d like to point out that UO went with the old hands in Taggart and Cristobal. Gone, both of them, in short order. They hired Lanning, who is *invested in the community* and is likely here for awhile. He’s already good and will likely get better.
Look, I get the donors and boosters want ROI, but this is a public school. Mullins answers to the taxpayers, not them, and any loss of revenue is HIS problem, not theirs. They’re free to donate less money or find another school that will take their cash, but they otherwise are just another influential voice AT the table.
It’s just football, y’all. They lost a game they shouldn’t have lost, just as they did in the Alamo Bowl. They recovered then, they’ll recover now.
John ,
As a former Pop Warner coach, Lanning’s play calling , particularly on 4th and 1, violated standard Football play calling strategy; As we say in the military , Lanning is a “Loose Cannon”, who can destroy his own team....he has not learned patience in his young years as a defensive minded coach....it’s going to be painful to watch him learn now as a HC, at the expense of future wins and UO bowl selections . Right now he is a “handicap” for the Ducks !
Rand W.
Commander, USCG ( Ret.)
OSU ‘67 GiantKiller Alumn
I still think too much was said of the play calling, and not enough of Ducks defense allowing the Beavs to run down the field 3 straight possessions Not once did they try to force them to pass
I’m not a duck fan at all but to blame the head coach sucks. Maybe they need to give him a chance to grow his own program one year is just his start!! Ducks act like spoiled brats didn’t get their way now they want to take their blanket and go home 🙈. Go beaver 🦫